Affiliation

A mortar, also known as a mortar launcher, was an indirect fire weapon that lobbed explosive projectiles known as mortar bombs or shells in a high arc. Some mortars were powerful enough to destroy vehicles.[3]

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The mortar launcher was popular with military and insurgent groups due to its low cost and ease of use. The weapon consisted of a tube, a tripod, a magazine, as well as a powerful electromagnet at the base that launched the shells. Also included was an integrated targeting computer which compensated for wind and other environmental factors. A magazine held 5 shells, which the launcher could reload and fire automatically until the magazine was depleted. Alternatively, a soldier could manually load the mortars one at a time, at which point the mortar launcher would fire it. The damage caused by mortar shells was very similar to the damage caused by fragmentation grenades.[1]

Because the weapon launched mortars very high into the air, it was ideal for use against long-range targets behind cover. However, this also meant that the mortars could not be fired at targets closer than 75 meters.[1]

The mortar launcher weighed 20 kilograms and cost 2,500 credits, but was available for military use only.[1]